It is common practice in the oil and gas industry to have some leakage or spillage of drilling and workover fluids, such as oil, saltwater, sand, or mud, for example, from the wellhead or rig floor. Such fluids create possible safety or environmental hazards. Thus, it is highly desirable to collect or contain such fluids at the wellhead in order to prevent or minimize such hazards.
Heretofore, oil and gas producers have oftentimes built permanent open cement pits or cellars below ground around wellheads for collecting fluids during workover or drilling operations. In such workover or drilling operations where production or drill pipe is pulled from a well, fluid is prevalent in or on the pipe. Where a cement pit exists, this fluid drains into the pit and does not contaminate the ground around the wellhead. However, where such a permanent pit does not exist, the fluid is free to drain upon the ground.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,784 dated Aug. 21, 1990, a tank is provided to catch and contain fluids leaked from around a polished rod of a producing well. The tank is not adapted for use with a drilling or workover rig in which the tank is adapted to support pipe sections therein removed from a well and to contain the fluid leaked from the pipe sections.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,754 dated Feb. 7, 1984, a container and conveyor apparatus is shown to carry drill bit cuttings from around a borehole during drilling operations. The apparatus is not portable for moving from one site to another site with a drilling or workover rig and does not have a pipe support therein for supporting pipe sections removed from the wellhead.